>> this is "bbc world news." funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to know your business, offering specialized solutions and capital to help you meet your

growth objectives. we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news." >> flying, chancellor angela merkel can expect a hostile reception as she arrives in greece. and the greek prime minister as he struggles to impose yet more austerities. hello and welcome to gmt. i'm george al guya with a world of news and opinion. also in the program, north

korea plex flexes its military muscles and claims its missiles can now reach the u.s. mainland. >> next time it's for real. the -- they vow to go faster and further than before. it's midday in london. angela merkel has just arrived for her first visit in five years in greece. the greece she will see this time around will see people mired in -- some of the anger is toward angela merkel. so why is she there? here's our correspondent.

>> she arrived for her first visit to greece in over five years. touching down in the euro zone's most indebted nation. she stayed away before critical of the slow performance but now a show of support. large parts of athens were cordened off. a sign of the rage against a leader many see as driving the painful spending cuts. protests before her arrival had banners and slogans against angela merkel. germany has insisted on those cutbacks before austerity relief was given. >> we want to form a strong partnership with especially germany. >> it was the greek prinal minister's visit that laid down

citizenshiplations. for the prime minister, seeking to rebuild greece's credibility, it's of huge importance. from ordinary greeks, no welcome, just strikes and planned protests. reviled by many few foreign leaders elit license it such a reaction here. >> let's hope it's for the best, and her coming here to greece, she will see first hand what the greeks are going through and the reduction in their standard of living. and she can form an opinion. let's hope we are not the guinea pigs of europe. >> she should see how we are suffering and the diet and how there is no future. >> as this makes the sinks foote into its worst crisis in modern history, angela merkel

is to have been one everyone wants to blame. now she is flying into the lion's den. >> let's go live to the square outside the greek parliament. these are live pictures. despite that massive police presence, something like 6,000-7,000 police officers on the street, this is are demonstration that's being allowed. and we have seen some of these demonstrations turn violent, the opposition not just to the austerity package but much of it directed at the german leader, angela merkel. she will be there four or five hours. we'll monitor the square and see how things develop as time goes by. of course it's not just greeks facing hardship.

the latest figures from the international monetary fund say the world economic recovery is slow. more on that in a few minutes. north korea says it has developed missiles capable of hitting the u.s. mainland and is not afraid to use them. they can hit the u.s. and neighboring areas. they say -- for the timing of the statement, it's raised some eyebrows. it comes just two days after south korea said it tripled the range of its missiles meaning the south missiles would now be able to reach all of north korea. well, joining me from seoul is john, an associate fellow with the asia program watt the

chatham house of think tank. thank you for being with us. first of all, let's talk about this claim from north korea. is it at all credible? >> well, it's credible in the sense that north koreans have in developing their ballistic missiles developed their technology but still very much a technology that hasn't demonstrated what they and north korea have been claiming. when they claimed to launch satellite to extend their ballistic missile to say they could hit the u.s. some would say is not a reality yet. >> when someone is exacting a claim like, this you know what i mean washington and seoul would have factoried that in. simply the problems of the

technical capacity -- >> absolutely. i think this is probably much more, if we want to explain it, a case of political rhetoric. the north feel compelled in the face of the extension of the missile capabilities and the result of the disagreement with the americans demonstrate they can respond in a way but perhaps most importantly, the military. we have seen the succession from kim oni will had a shift in central gravity. and yet the military remains an important actor in the north korean political environment, and i think what we're seeing is a government seeking to assure its key constituents and to send a signal to the outside world in the face of what they consider pressure from the south and the government is strong and the national security of the north korea the

safe. >> it's given that the south has only increased its missile capacity. >> absolutely. and i think we need to trecks last few months have been very tense on the korean peninsula, and there's been no love lost and the outgoing president is seen as someone who is hostile to the north and that certainly is how the knot paints him. this is very much a political gang waiting for the political senses of december and north koreans are not going to give an inch until they see the new president taking over in january. but for now, as you say, they have every reason to take a tough stance. >> thank you for your time on gmt. let's take a look at some of the other stories making hirnes around the world today.

mexican authorities say the leader of the drug cartel appears to have been killed in a fire fight with marines. final forensic tests are being carried out to confirm it is one of mexico's most wanted men. the u.s. had offered $5 million for his capture. lawyers representing the libyan government tell the international criminal court that gaddafi should be tried in his home country. he is accused of committing more crimes against the rebels who overthrew his father last year. they are expected to argue he would not receive a fair trial in libya. american scientists say they are upset about the debris arriving a 200-ton dock was found to be carrying 100,000 species that threaten local

marine life. and still to come on gmt, celebrations in uganda will be live as the east african nation marks 50 years of independence. >> a secret agent who infiltrated the i.r.a. on behalf of british securities says ehe's been abandoned by those he served and left with mental health problems as a result. he has lived under a false identity for almost 30 years after revealing sensitive information in one of the biggest criminal trials in irish and british history. colin campbell reports. >> raymond gilmore infiltrated the i.r.a. at the height of the troubles in i.r.a. and later earned himself an i.r.a. death sentence. >> i brought them to their knees. and saved countless amount of

lives. >> but living under a false identity for almost 30 years he says he has been failed by the international services. the contract between the government. we served during dirtiest war. >> for some, though, raymond gilmore is still remembered as a traitor, guilty of betrayal. with the assistance of his m.p. he is now taking his case to the tribunal a body which exams complaints against the international services. >> is this just about money? >> in. no. not at all. it's about the betrayal of the international security forces against me. >> raymond gilmore accepts speaking out could endanger his life but he has been left with little choice. >> you can continue to have your say on that story or others on gmt today.

just go to our facebook page and there you can comment on our latest stories and look at our photo galleries from our traveling correspondents. >> the address is facebook.com/bbcworldnews. >> this is gmt from "bbc world news," i'm george al guya. the headlines. germany's chancellor angela merkel has arrived in greece. many believe she is the author of the country's austerity. north korea warns its long-range missiles are capable of hitting the american mainland. well, let's catch up on the business news now with aaron. we have been looking at those problems in greece. greece is apparently not alone,

in fact the whole world is kind of in trouble. and more evidence of this kind of shift to the emerging market. >> absolutely. a i shift of wealth. this is a stark warning. the international monetary fund and the latest assessment. saying look unless the u.s. and europe and the global economy could fall into a steeper slowdown. they are saying confidence is being damaged. damaged confidence that discourages businesses from investing and damaged confidence stops consumers from spending. so the i.m.f. downgraded the overall growth for this year to 3% in july. so only a few months they had to downgrade the forecast basically. the i.m.f. also highlighted what you and i spoke about yesterday. the new rescue fund, the permanent rescue fund for the euro zone. they said it's very important

and the leaders need to start using that fund to rescue banks. in terms of the united states, the i.m.f. was blunt and said congress needs to sit down and sort out the budget in a nutshell saying everything the leaders have done so far is just not enough and the emerging economies, china, which they downgraded. they used one phrase only, a common factory. listen to this. >> which applies to the revision in most emerging market countries is exports. they are not doing great. and the striking thing in the world in which we are is that when -- the effect on trade. the effect on exports from emerging market countries is very, very strong. >> i will defend one of the sharpest downgrades in the world with rough here in the u.k. >> good news. >> u.s. secretary and ben bernanke, head of the fed. they are in india.

what are they doing there? >> very important meeting forging stronger economic ties but we already know the u.s. and india have a strong alliance but this alliance needs to be that much more stronger and important given both economies are combating the rising clout of china. there's a lot to talk about and there's a lot to be done. in particular on the indian side. let's raymond everyone that india was once the growing darling but an economy that's got disappointing investors and shackeled with red tape and corruption as well. so the question is will the u.s. apply that much more pressure on the indian government get these reforms through and through fast? >> not so long ago by my bbc colleague and he basic live said yes, our economy hasn't

grown as fast as expected and no one else's has but we're still slightly better than the rest. the fact is india is also looking at the election and not 1 1/2 or slightly before that. so there's not a whole lot that the government can do, and i think everybody recognizes that. the market doesn't, so no one sees going to line up -- we do know the large supermarket chains, wal-mart has said they will be here within the next 12-18 months so that's one company that's looking to come here. >> and you know wall smart rubbing its hands waiting to get into china. >> yes. >> thank you. >> now, uganda is marking 50 years of independence from britain today. several african heads of state are joining home the celebrate the anniversary. supporters say the president

whose been in power since 1986 has led uganda to peace but critics say he's muzzled the -- which will be boycotting the event. >> joining me live. what's the mood like today? plenty of celebration? >> yes. as you can hear behind me the music is devinning. the crowd, we heard them screaming and shouting. there had been loud celebrations. and the -- some of the country's biggest musicians have been performing. so it's been a very lively atmosphere so far. >> well yes, there, but the fact of the matter is the backdrop to all this isn't all that great. there's been massive inflation, food cuts.

accusation, that he's holding down the opposition. >> yes. this celebration has been -- to celebrate their independence but also reflect on where the country has been over the past 50 years and some believe the president has stayed too long and the spending on health and education and infrastructure could be improved. that's why some of the opposition parties have chosen to boycott and protest instead, because they think these issues need to be highlighted. >> and regionally, katherine, there is an issue. we talked about things like that, that affect the cost of living and the government has been accused of disrupting the

democratic republic of konga? >> yes. there's that said that the president has. and this is because uganda play ascii role in the region. there have been different accusations levied against it. but at the same time it's still seen as a powerful force in the region and the power america goes when it needs to negotiate with this area. but -- >> last week mitt romney put in a strong performance in the first of the tv presidential debates but with the election less than a month away, the republican candidate still needs every advantage to

overtake president obama. foreign policy has been seen as a weakness. but he's now trying to turn it into a have -- into a strength. >> mitt romney is looking to close the gap between he and barack obama. he criticized the government for failing to lead during a time of upheaval. >> i know the president hopes for a freer middle east. aligned with us. i share this hope. but hope is not a strategy. we can't support our friends and defeat our friends in the middle east when our words are not backed up by deeds. last months attacks on the american consulates added they were likely the work of the same forces that attacked

america on september 11, 11 years ago. >> with iran closer than ever to nuclear capability. >> the republican candidate said it was time to change course and said that he would put iran on notice and work more closely with our partners on the gulf. put more conditions on american aide and help the rebels in syria attain arms. but he gave few details and some of his proposals are already policy under the obama administration. the former governor stuck to his written speech and has stumbled before on policy. >> "the new york times" says -- >> the obama administration was quick to put out a campaign add that showed his short comings.

president obama and mr. romney faced off in a debate last week focused on domestic policy but the two men will meet on stage twice more in the coming two weeks and debate america's role in the world. "bbc world news," washington. >> now in just over an hour, the daredevil felix baumgardner is due to jump from the edge of space in a record-setting skydiving attempt. if he succeeds he will become the first person to go faster than the speed of sound without an aircraft. reporting from rozz well, new mexico. >> he will be taken 23 miles up by balloon to the edge of space.

he is so might go up that if his space suit leaks, his blood will boil. he will break sound barrier. no one knows the effects it will have on him. >> we practiced this. this is my biggest dream. we are one step closer. i feel good at the moment. >> felix came to fame as a young base jumper, hurling himself off tall buildings and notoriously off the giant jesus monument. this time he is helped by engineers and his suit is allowing him greater movement so he can glide during free fall. the capsule has been specially built to protect him from the

freezing conditions of high altitude. this is the mission control center where engineers are making a final preparation for the jump. there's some tension but excitement. it's from here that they will track his vital signs and follow him as he falls to earth. the launch will be at a small airfield in rozz welle, new mexico. the balloon is 55 stories high and thinner than a plastic bag. felix will get in the capsule and once the wind drops, a crate releases it and a i way he'll go. the record was set 52 years ago by colonel joe kit injer. two people have died trying to break his record. colonel kitten jer is now helping felix, giving him support. re-living every moment of the mission. >> felix's mother and other

family members and friends have come to wish felix luck and watch with pride as he falls further and faster than anyone who has fallen before. >> incredible. more on that amazing attempt in about 30 minutes when we will speak to a man who in 1999 became the first to complete a non-stop balloon ride around the globe. before we take a break, a reminder of our top story on gmt. of course it's -- these are live pictures looking from outside the parliament. the first time angela merkel has been to greece. for a lot of people in greece, chancellor angela merkel is being blamed with the austerity package with which they are

dealing with. she is being blamed for these protests. something like 7,000 police officers have been out in the streets of athens to make sure this trip goes as smoothly as they hope. so do stay with us. there's plenty more on "bbc world news." back after a while. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding for this presentation was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, and union bank. >> at union bank, our

relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and help provide capital for key strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los presented by kcet, los angeles